Rate Books are widely used throughout the wedding, design, photography, and art industries. A Rate Book (also known as a pricing guide) is essentially a “menu” of your services and prices.

When done well, it's a document that also serves as a portfolio of your work and explains your topline policies.

There's several ways you can implement this into your business processes and workflows. In the User Guide, you'll get three key ways to use it. I have mine set up to automatically send to clients after they've completed my intake form. That way they can review all of my services while I'm working on their inquiry.

Clients find us a number of ways — and not always through our websites. So you need a way to visually communicate your key services and starting prices to your prospective clients when your website isn't one of their touch-points.

A Rate Book can help you do just that! If someone reaches out for place cards, then receives your Rate Book, they may be more inclined to buy signage, or purchase add-ons like wax seals.

Your Rate Book can help you do the selling without actually selling!

No. However, it can help you start thinking about your prices, services, and offerings more strategically.

Creating my rate book underscored the importance of nailing my own prices. So while I was building this out, I was simultaneously researching how to price my work.

For help with pricing your work, I provide links to free and premium resources specifically for pricing calligraphy.

No, the Rate Book Template is editable with the free version of Canva. As of the time of writing, all of the design elements used are free. However, Canva could choose to make them premium elements at any point. Please note: templates are optimized for the desktop version of Canva, not the mobile app.

A clear understanding of your key services (i.e. place cards, welcome signs, envelope addressing, etc.).

Starting prices for each of your services.

A Canva account (you can sign up for free; no need to pay for the Pro version unless you want to).

A basic understanding of Canva OR a willingness to learn the fundamentals. The intro video walks you through how to make changes to the Rate Book Template in Canva, but it is NOT a Canva 101 tutorial. Canva has tons of those on their YouTube page.

An understanding of your end-to-end client experience – from intake form (or first communication) to how you deliver the finished product to your client.

No. Any service-based calligrapher can use the Rate Book Template.

However, I do have a separate template just for live events (see the next FAQ for details).

You can always duplicate your Rate Book in Canva and create versions for your different services (i.e. one for Wedding Calligraphy, one for Engraving/Live Events, one for Window Art/Murals, etc.).

Yes! I created a standalone Rate Book Template exclusively for live events. So if you do on-site calligraphy, engraving, bottle painting, wood-burning, gold foiling, or any other live art service, you now have a Rate Book made just for brand clients and on-site events.

Due to the digital nature of this product, I cannot offer refunds. However, if you have any questions or concerns about the template, please email hello@maidenseptember.com so I can assist.

I’m proud to say no one has ever requested a refund!

Absolutely! Happy customers are the best marketing there is!

If you have the Rate Book Template, just send me an email requesting an affiliate link and I will set you up. You will receive 30% on all commissions using your link.